It's a Rainy, Chilly, Dreary Day! What to do, what to do? I know...BAKE!

Hi friends,

Today it was once again a dreary, stormy, overcast day in Oklahoma.

Even Molly didn't want to get out in the downpour. Of course she is 44 days pregnant, so that might explain it. You can sort of see her big belly. Poor thing.

Anyway, it's days like these that make me want to heat up the oven, and go through the comforting routine of mixing, and baking, inhaling some delicious aroma, like cinnamon, followed by warm deliciousness on a plate, and maybe a blankie and my Kindle.

Now, I have to tell you, I cook, and bake, alot. Alot. A. Lot. But this kind of icky weather just drives me to it. (Or gives me an excuse to do it!)

So, today I am in the mood for some comfort food. Some stay in and keep me warm food. Something to go with hot coffee, or hot tea. Hot lavender tea.

Snap! I have just the thing. "Nana's Cake."

This is such an easy recipe. No mixer involved. And...it's wildly adaptable. While I'll give you the basic recipe that my Nana always used, you can (and I have!) change it up, by adding walnuts,  raisins, coconut, blueberries, or...uhummm...lavender, or a variety of other yummy things. Just make sure and let me know if you do a variation so I can try it too!

And...this is wonderful served for breakfast, or brunch. In fact, the girls I worked with dubbed it "Nana's Breakfast Cake" because they liked it early in the morning with coffee.

Nana's Cake
3 eggs beaten
3 cups flour
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups bananas, diced
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup chopped nuts
(Today I also added a handful of fresh blueberries)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan, or spray with cooking oil spray.

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In another bowl, slightly beat the eggs and add the wet ingredients.

Add the wet to the dry and stir until blended.

 Bake for 1 hour. Serve warm or cool.

This cake doesn't need icing. It's already sweet, and has a nice crust. But I have sprinkled it with powdered sugar after it cooled just to dress it up and take it out. You could put a glaze on it, or a thin icing if you want, but it's really not necessary.

NOTE: I have also baked this in a sheet cake pan and cut into bars to feed a crowd. Just adjust your baking time accordingly. AND I use ripe bananas, not green ones.

So what book should I download for this afternoon? Hmmm...so many choices...

Wishing you warmth, wherever you are.

CL